Nightwalker
by Yondaime Namikaze
Summary: Some in modern times call them vampires. Some in older times called them night's children. Regardless of what they're called, I can affirm that they exist. How do I know that? Well, that's my story, so I might as well tell it. Oh, and one last thing…they're called Nightwalkers.
1. It'll Be Fun

**If you have been following my recently-completed story "Try To Be Brave", you've probably heard about this story. Or, maybe you just opened this chapter because the summary sounds interesting. Either way, welcome! I'm glad that you have chosen to take the time to check this story out and read. Hope you enjoy!**

 **This story will feature something that I don't usually do. An extended prologue. Nightwalker is told in 3-4 arcs and the prologue in itself is one arc…but don't get me wrong. It's more than just backstory. It is absolutely essential to the story and Nightwalker would be lost without it.**

 **If you are new to me and my stories, I just want to say that I have a Twitter where you can keep up to date with what's happening in regards to updates and other fanfiction matters. Info is on my fanfiction profile if you'd like to check it out and/or follow.**

 **That said, here is the first chapter of Nightwalker!**

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Prologue  
Chapter 1: It'll Be Fun  
Setting: A settlement in what would later be known as Pennsylvania, 1700

 _Growing up, I'm sure that you heard about the scary creatures that only come out after dark. Maybe your parents, in their efforts to make sure you returned home before the sun went down, made up stories of blood-sucking human-like creatures or humans that become more wolf-like on nights where the moon was full. I can't say that I know for certain about the wolf-like men, but I do know about the blood-sucking ones. Some in modern times call them vampires. Some in older times called them night's children. Regardless of what they're called, I can affirm that they exist. How do I know that? Well, that's my story, so I might as well tell it. Oh, and one last thing…they're called Nightwalkers._

Astrid Hofferson sat by the lake in the woods near her town. She hated living here. It was always so boring. Not to mention that she hated wearing dresses. The long dresses and aprons worn by the girls and women of the town really hindered her movements. Astrid wanted to climb trees and wrestle in the dirt like the boys of the settlement, but she already knew what her parents, especially her mother, would think if she let her tomboy nature show even just a little. Young girls were expected, from an early age, to learn how to be good homemakers and mothers. Astrid did not want to follow tradition, but what other choice did she have?

Sitting by the lake, Astrid picked up a flat stone and skipped it across the water. She was going to hear it later tonight for sitting in the dirt, but right now she just didn't care. Right now, it was just nice to be alone, by herself with just the chirping birds to keep her company. It was peaceful.

"Aren't you a little far from home? Should a girl be out here all by herself?"

Astrid jumped and looked back to see who had joined her. She recognized him instantly, but she did not immediately remember his name. He was brunette, a little tall for his age…and two years younger than her. _**Who does he think he is? Younger than me and he thinks I'm incompetent. He'll pay for that!**_ "So? I can take care of myself! I'm not some weak little girl!"

The boy approached. "I never said that," he amended, taking a seat beside Astrid, "but I guess that's how it probably sounded. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Astrid spoke quickly. She wished the boy would just leave and stop intruding on her peaceful solitude. When he started to attempt to strike up a conversation, though, Astrid knew instantly that he did not plan on leaving anytime soon.

Because the boy was obviously planning to stay for a while, Astrid decided to listen and contribute to the conversation. As they talked, Astrid learned more about him. Like Astrid, he valued the lake as a sacred place where he could just go to collect his thoughts. He had come today because he could not get any peace at home. His mother had just brought a baby girl into the world and, according to the boy, the baby cried at all hours of the day or night. Hearing this, Astrid felt slightly jealous. She would always be an only child; the settlement's healer had informed Mrs. Hofferson that she would never have another child. "Maybe when your sister is a little older, I could meet her?" Astrid asked, starting to warm up to this boy.

The boy smiled. "I'm sure Emma would like that…because I'm guessing she's going to be a social butterfly. Just like me."

"You? A butterfly?" Astrid laughed. "I think you're more like a stink bug. All boys are stink bugs."

The boy laughed right along with Astrid and, by the time they walked back into the settlement together, they had become fast friends.

Years passed, but their friendship remained intact, growing stronger by the day. Much to the dismay of her parents, Astrid spent her days with Jay (that was not his real name, but all good friends must have nicknames for each other, right? Besides, it wasn't much of a nickname; it was just the letter at the start of his real name) and his little sister Emma who, as her brother had predicted, grew to be outgoing and curious.

When Astrid was fifteen and Jay was thirteen, something changed. Astrid had always liked Jay as a friend. He was creative and always managed to find something fun to do in their boring little settlement. However, Astrid, though the years, found that she liked Jay less as a friend and started to see him more as a potential boyfriend. Back when she had first met the scrawny little eight-year-old Jay, ten-year-old Astrid could never have imagined feeling this way about his boy. Yet, those feelings had developed. It would be another two years before Jay admitted that he felt the same way about Astrid. Mr. and Mrs. Hofferson were not pleased with Astrid's romantic choices. Sticking to tradition, the Hofferson parents believed that their daughter should've been married by now, but Astrid would hear none of it. Astrid had her mind set and nothing would change it.

Three years later, on one particular night, Astrid was woken to a soft tapping on the glass of her bedroom window. Quietly, so as not to wake her protective parents, Astrid walked over to her window and opened it as noiselessly as she could. Her boyfriend stood on the other side. His brown hair shone almost white in the bright glow of the full moon. "Jay? What are you doing here? Did Emma wake you up again?"

"No," he answered. "Emma's still asleep. I couldn't sleep, though, so I thought I would take a walk in the woods. Want to come?"

"Walking in the woods after dark? Isn't that a bit dangerous? There are wolves and bears…and other creatures too." Astrid may have been twenty, but that didn't mean she was needlessly reckless.

"Well, yeah, those animals live in the woods, Astrid," he answered. "But I don't plan to venture that far away from the village. Just a quick walk and then it's back to bed. Come on. It'll be fun."

Astrid was torn. She wanted to follow her boyfriend, but she was still nervous. "Okay, but let's say there is something out there, do you have something to defend yourself with?"

Her boyfriend held up a thick stick, curved slightly at the top. "I know it doesn't look like much, but it's pretty strong. I beat it against a few trees on my way here," he answered with a smile.

Astrid knew that she should resist, object to this crazy plan and return to bed. However, looking deep into Jay's brown eyes, she could see the mischievous twinkle. In that instant, she could see the reason that she'd fallen for him, both as a friend and as something more. He brought fun to her otherwise-boring life and this idea was no exception. Besides, she couldn't let him go through with this alone. "Okay, I'll come."

She did not bother to change out of her nightdress. The typical dress that she was forced to wear would just get in the way. Besides, she and Jay had been together for three years now. There was no need for her to look perfect; Astrid already knew that Jay liked her no matter how she looked. Quickly, with expert skill, she braided her hair and tied it back. It was a bit messy, but, other than Jay, who would see it? _**It doesn't have to be perfect. Besides, Jay said we'll only be gone for a short time.**_

Though she had never snuck out of her house late at night before, Astrid found it quite easy to slip out her open window. When her feet touched the soft grass outside her window, Astrid felt a rush of adrenaline. _**I can't believe I'm actually doing this!**_ "Lead the way," she told Jay, letting him know that she was ready to go.

Astrid stole one last glance back at her house and her open bedroom window. She didn't want to forget any little detail of this night. What she did not realize was just how unforgettable this night would actually be.

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 **Well, what do you think? I'm actually pretty excited about this story. Lots of interesting things to come…and I only have about 75% of it planned at this moment, I think. I didn't write the plans down.**

 **Now you see why I said that the Prologue would be arc in and of itself. Lots of info here, but this is the only backstory-extensive chapter. Prologue Arc continues (with more action) next chapter!**

 **Thank you all for reading and supporting Nightwalker!**

 **Posted: August 11, 2015**


	2. Attacked

**Time for the next chapter of Nightwalker and the action's going to start to pick up now! I'm excited. Are you? Okay, let's get to it!**

 **Review Replies:**

 _ **Silver Blue Eyed Wolf**_ **: Predictions are fun (and I really do enjoy reading them!). I won't give too much away, but someone will become a Nightwalker. Actually, before this story's all said and done, a few ordinary humans will cross over to become Nightwalkers. Hiccup will appear after the prologue. He does not live in the years 1700-1710. He's from the 2010's. Good questions!**

 _ **KitKatLove96**_ **: After the prologue, we'll see Hiccup. I explained it in my previous reply, so I'll just direct you there instead of taking up space to explain it again…because I know you'd rather just read the chapter. Haha. Also, yes, Jay is not Hiccup, but Jay is still important. We'll see why later.**

 _ **Anonymous Noob the 2**_ _ **nd**_ **: I had not thought about Toothless! He'll probably be Hiccup's cat or dog or something. Not a dragon, though, I know that much already. As for mythology, I'll see what I can do to add it in, but, as colonists, the settlers don't really interact much with the Natives. (If that goes against history, I'm sorry! It's been a long time since I learned about that subject in school.)**

* * *

Prologue  
Chapter 2: Attacked  
Setting: The woods surrounding Astrid's small settlement, Late night (approx. 3AM), 1710

Jay expertly led the way through the forest and Astrid found herself wondering how often he snuck out of the village to explore the woods late at night. The woods were alive with sounds and it took several minutes before Astrid stopped jumping at every little noise. Up ahead, Astrid could hear Jay occasionally tap his stick against tree trunks. Even though the full moon shone down upon them and illuminated the way, Astrid was grateful that she could follow the tapping of wood against wood. The longer Astrid followed Jay, the more she relaxed.

Astrid picked up the pace to walk right behind Jay. Sighing, she told him, "Alright, you're right. This is pretty relaxing and peaceful." However, she jumped almost immediately at a sound from somewhere deeper in the woods. "What's that?" she whispered, hating how scared her voice sounded.

Jay laughed. "That would be an owl."

"Oh…" Astrid answered, mentally kicking herself for freaking out because of a stupid noisy bird. To her defense, though, hooting owls could be scary if you weren't expecting to hear them. Before she could fully recover from the scare, another sound echoed through the woods. This sound was a little closer than the hooting owl and Astrid tensed again. "Okay, what was that?" her voice dropped to a whisper again.

"Pretty sure that was a coyote," Jay replied. He must've sensed Astrid's fear because, with a short laugh, he added, "Don't worry. It's not going to eat us."

Jay continued to walk further into the woods. Astrid still followed, but she felt more doubts creep into the back of her mind. "I thought you said we weren't going to walk too far into the woods?" she questioned.

"We're not," Jay answered. "We could go a lot further, but I'm just about ready to turn back."

 _ **Apparently his definition of "not too far" and my definition do not quite match up,**_ Astrid thought as she followed Jay who continued to tap his stick against tree trunks every so often.

Just when Jay was about to turn around and lead them back toward their quiet settlement, a nearby bush rustled. Astrid jumped once again and, this time, she noticed that Jay also started at the sudden noise. "Okay, what was that?" she asked Jay for a third time that night.

"Uh…I don't know," he answered this time, "could be a bunny or something…or Natives."

He whispered that last part, but his words weren't soft enough for Astrid to miss. What if it really was Natives? She had heard the tales from her parents. Astrid didn't know if the stories were true, and she really did not feel like finding out the truth. "Jay," she whispered, "what are we going to do?" Should they make a break for it, race back to the safety of their settlement? Would that even be logical?

Jay shushed her and tensed, bringing his stick forward. When Jay had showed Astrid that he was bringing along the stick for defense, she had felt safe. Now, she just felt foolish. If the rustling of the bushes was made by the Natives, they had weapons and Jay's stick would be no match.

The bushes rustled again, closer this time. Whatever it was that was there…it was moving towards them. Jay and Astrid moved closer to each other, but the proximity did nothing to calm their nerves. _**I knew this was a bad idea!**_ Astrid scolded herself. _ **I could've been sleeping peacefully…but, no, that's a lie. I would not have been able to sleep knowing that Jay was out here all by himself…facing this all by himself.**_

"When I say, follow me and run as fast as you can," Jay ordered and Astrid nodded, trusting her boyfriend with her life.

Astrid tensed, waiting for the order. She didn't need to be told twice; all she wanted was to get out of the woods and make it home safely.

"Run!" Jay yelled, his voice never leaving a whisper. Immediately after speaking that one word, Jay took off at top speed in the direction of the settlement.

Without hesitation, Astrid followed, keeping pace with her boyfriend. Everything seemed to be fine. They would make it back to the settlement without encountering whatever was in the bushes. Unfortunately, a hidden tree root changed those plans. While running, Astrid's bare foot caught on a raised tree root and she tumbled to the ground, rolling to land on her back. Jay must've heard because he raced back and helped her back onto her feet.

Never releasing his hand from hers, Jay continued to run back toward the settlement. Astrid gripped Jay's hand tightly as she ran at the same speed as him. Again, Astrid was just starting to get a sense that everything would be fine when she felt a tight grip on her shoulders. Whatever had been hiding in the bushes had come out of hiding and was now holding her back from returning to safety.

For just a brief moment, Astrid felt like the middle of the rope in a game of tug-of-war. Jay tried to keep running, but the person…or thing from the bushes had such a tight grip on her shoulders that she could not continue to follow Jay. Jay lost his grip on Astrid's hand and Astrid again fell to the ground, her back slamming into the unforgiving surface. Upon impact, her breath caught in her lungs and she desperately tried to pull in air.

The moonlight shining down into Astrid's face was blotted out by a silhouette. Astrid desperately hoped the person standing over her was Jay, but she knew that it wasn't. It was the person from the bushes. _**This must be a Native. Well…it was a good twenty years of life…**_

The person standing over Astrid smirked down upon her and she caught sight of long teeth that reflected the moonlight. From somewhere, Astrid heard Jay call out her name, but she was powerless to answer back. Instead, she was captivated by this man's (for she was certain now that this person was a man) shining teeth. _**How does someone even have teeth that reflective?**_

The man knelt down in front of her and brushed Astrid's loose blonde hair away to expose her neck. Astrid wanted to rise and race away from this man, but she found she could not move. Why couldn't she move? She wanted to resist, to fight the hold this man had on her. Astrid was frustrated. This man was not even holding her down and yet she could not move. It didn't make any sense.

A sharp pain in her neck halted her thoughts. _**Did he just…No, this can't be happening!**_ The man had just bit into her exposed neck with his long shiny teeth. Astrid could feel her blood rushing to the spot of the bite. Weakly, Astrid tried to call out for Jay, but the words caught in her thoat. She couldn't speak and she was powerless against the strange hold this man had on her.

Astrid's mind grew more and more muddled the longer this man kept his teeth pressed down into her skin. Only too late did Astrid realize that this man's strange power was bringing her blood to the site of the bite for him to drink. Weren't there horror stories about creatures like this that lurk out in the night? Didn't most parents tell their children this story around the fire? Clearly there had been some truth behind those "don't go out after dark" stories.

With every ounce of blood that she lost, the more the world around her blinked out of focus and it would not be long before she passed out from the blood loss. Her only hope was that Jay would recover quickly enough to defend her against this man. As much as Astrid hated relying strictly on her boyfriend for help, this was one time when there was truly nothing else she could do. She was already weakened and this blood-sucking man was just too strong. "J-Jay," Astrid managed to croak out, but her pitiful attempt was not nearly loud enough for her boyfriend to hear.

"Astrid!" From somewhere in the distance she heard Jay's yell. Unfortunately, she couldn't yell back; she just didn't have the strength. The blood loss had taken its toll and Astrid slipped deep into unconsciousness.

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 **There we have it! Just as some predicted, that walk in the woods would not be pleasant. Well, I don't have much else to say, so I'll end it here. Talk with you all next chapter!**

 **Thank you all for reading and supporting Nightwalker!**

 **Posted: August 27, 2015**


	3. What Happened Last Night?

**You know…I just couldn't leave everything so unresolved like they were at the end of the last chapter. I'll have you all know that I literally started writing this chapter the minute after chapter 2 was posted! Anyway, here we go with more Nightwalker!**

 **Review Replies:**

 _ **DauterFeralVigilanteDragonLady**_ **: The new chapter will be posted now. Haha. I'll never really give estimates because when I tried to do that, my guesses were always wrong, so I gave up trying. Haha. I'm glad you're loving the story.**

 _ **Anonymous Noob the 2**_ _ **nd**_ **: I will definitely have to look that type of dog breed up when we approach the modern-day chapters. There's still some prologue chapters left first, though. You know, I think we studied that years and years ago (would be smart to, since I live in Pennsylvania and all), but I can't remember. I graduated high school too long ago. Haha. I wasn't really thinking werewolves…at least not at this point (the prologue), but who knows later on? I'm known to add and change my plans in an instant.**

 _ **Guest (anonymous)**_ **: I'm glad that you love the story so far. Here's the next chapter.**

* * *

Prologue  
Chapter 3: What Happened Last Night?  
Setting: Unknown

Astrid slowly blinked open her eyes and immediately her thoughts raced. Where was she? How had she gotten to this place? Why couldn't she remember? Attempting to calm her questioning thoughts, Astrid warily glanced around and found that she was in her bedroom. Instantly, her memories returned. The walk with Jay out in the woods late at night. That mysterious bloodsucking man. Passing out from blood loss on the forest floor. _**What?**_ How had she gotten back here after last night?

Slowly, Astrid rose from her bed and placed her feet upon the wooden floor of her bedroom. She didn't even feel the least bit dizzy. Weren't there any lasting effects of having your blood drained by some creepy bloodsucking man? Running her hands along her neck, Astrid found that she could not locate the bite from last night. _**There's no way that healed so quickly! What is going on here?**_ Was it possible that all her memories from last night were just made up, some ridiculously vivid dream she'd had?

Standing up, Astrid expected to be at least a little dizzy, but she did not wobble even in the slightest. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary other than those strange memories that she was starting to question. _**I know! I'll find Jay. He'll help me to understand this.**_

Quickly Astrid threw on the familiar plain brown dress that she hated so much. Before leaving her bedroom, Astrid also took a brief moment to braid her hair into its familiar single braid. She tried to quickly sneak out the front door, but her mother stopped her, forcing her to" eat breakfast before running off". Reluctantly, Astrid sat and ate the plate of food that had been set out for her. Again, she was surprised that she had no problems keeping the food down. If the events of last night had indeed actually happened, Astrid thought she would have a little more trouble not regurgitating her food.

Once Astrid was finished, she left her plate on the table and raced out the door before her mother could stop her again. Outside, Astrid searched around until she found Jay. He was just finishing a task that his mother had asked of him. Astrid waited until Jay was finished before approaching him; she did not want to startle him.

Coming up to Jay, Astrid pulled him into a hug. "I want to talk to you. Can we go sit by the lake?" she whispered into his ear before pulling apart.

Jay nodded and Astrid led the way. She chose the lake because it was a calm secluded place. There, Astrid was confident that no one would be around to eavesdrop as she asked Jay these questions that she definitely did not want anyone else hearing.

Astrid and Jay took a seat by the lake and watched the wind lightly ripple the water. Though she was desperate for answers, Astrid did not know how to ask Jay the questions that weighed on her mind. Her boyfriend didn't speak, waiting for her to initiate the conversation.

Taking a deep breath, Astrid chanced to ask the question to which she was most desperate to find the answer. "Did we…take a walk last night? In the woods?"

Jay turned to face Astrid and she could see in his expression that he had not been expecting such a question. "Yeah, we did," he answered tentatively, as if unsure of where Astrid was going with this conversation.

Pleased with the confirmation that her thoughts were not completely wrong, Astrid continued. "What happened last night during the walk?"

Again, Jay seemed a bit hesitant to answer. "We walked for a little. You jumped at every little sound. Then, I guess we just came back to go sleep. I don't know. I think I must've been pretty tired by the end because I don't really remember coming back. I just remember waking up this morning in my bed."

"Is that…all that happened?" Astrid asked. _**What about that mysterious blood-sucking man? Even if Jay didn't see him…Jay still heard the rustling in the bushes.**_

"I think so?" Jay answered. "Astrid, why are you asking me these questions? Is everything okay?" he asked her, his voice laced with concern.

Astrid was about to answer, but she grew distracted by the lake. The water was calm enough to provide a reflective surface. She struggled against the neckline of her dress but from what she managed to see, Astrid could find no bite marks present upon her neck. Letting the neckline of her dress fall back into place, Astrid remembered that Jay was still waiting for her to answer his questions. "It's just that…I…" she started but then decided against worrying her boyfriend…especially if everything she had thought happened turned out to be merely some strange dream. "It's nothing. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Jay's voice portrayed his worry. He did not believe that Astrid was telling him the truth. "If something's wrong, I want to help."

Astrid smiled. She did not often see this side of Jay. Usually, he was carefree and fun, but now he was serious. It hurt to lie, but Astrid knew that he'd never believe her if she were to tell him the truth about what she remembered from last night. "Really, I'm fine. We should get back, though, before our families start to worry and come looking for us."

Reluctantly, Jay agreed and they walked back together. When they made it back to the settlement, Jay continued to stay by Astrid's side. _**He must be worried. Did my questions make me sound that crazy?**_ Astrid wondered.

"Astrid!"

Hearing her name, Astrid turned and saw her mother waving her over. Releasing her hand from Jay's, Astrid walked over to her mother. "Yes?"

"I'm glad that I found you. We need some more firewood for the house. Would you be a dear and go grab us some from the pile?"

 _ **Of course you'd find me! It's pretty easy to find anyone in this small settlement.**_ Astrid pushed her thoughts aside and merely answered, "Of course." Normally, girls and women of the settlement did not bring home firewood, but, because Astrid had no brothers (or sisters, for that matter), she usually got stuck with the job. Luckily, Jay would usually agree to help her out so she did not have to make as many trips to and from the pile of wood gathered by some of their fellow villagers.

As Astrid expected, Jay agreed to help her (even though he had already hauled wood home for his own family earlier that day) and the work, though still strenuous, felt a little easier. If nothing else, it was nice to have Jay's company.

They were just about finished carting wood back and forth to Astrid's home when Astrid noticed it. Her vision had started to swim, the world around her blurring in and out of focus. Astrid blinked to try to remedy her vision, but it did little to help. Her vision impairment made her dizzy and she started to stumble. The problem only continued to grow worse and Astrid did not have time to set down the wood in her hands before her vision grew black and she felt herself fall.

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 **I hate when I go to end a chapter and I can visualize it but can't put it into words without sounding stupid. Hopefully, that ending didn't sound too lame and/or cliché. Regardless, I hope that everyone enjoyed reading this chapter!**

 **Thank you all for reading and supporting Nightwalker!**

 **Posted: August 31, 2015**


	4. Sickness Grows Worse

**What has happened to Astrid? Recall at the end of the last chapter that she blacked out while carrying firewood. Well, no use waiting! Let's find out what's next for our young protagonist!**

 **Can I just express how frustrated and cheated I feel that the story stats for views on these last several chapters did not show up while the stats were down? You all should go back and view those chapters again (even if you don't read them!) just so that I feel better! Haha.**

 **Review Replies:**

 ** _Guest (anonymous)_ : Thanks for the reassurance. It will be explained who that shadowy figure is, but I will say that it is not Hiccup. Hiccup will come in a little later in the storyline. **

**_sondrex76_ : Thanks for reviewing! Here's the next chapter.**

 ** _Guest (anonymous)_ : Thanks! I'm glad you like it so far. Here's the next chapter.**

* * *

Prologue  
Chapter 4: Sickness Grows Worse  
Setting: Unknown

Astrid blinked her eyes open again just as she had…was it yesterday? She did not know how long it had been since she collapsed while carrying firewood. Faintly, she became aware of the presence of others around her bedside.

"She's awake!"

 _ **Jay.**_ Her boyfriend was there and so were her parents.

"Astrid!" Her mother was at her bedside instantly. "How are you feeling?"

Attempting to sit up, Astrid was halted as her mother gently pressed her back down. "Uh…okay…I guess? My head really hurts…and I feel pretty dizzy. What happened?"

"From what I heard, it sounds as if you blacked out while bringing back the wood like I'd asked. It's a good thing Jackson was there to catch you before you hit the ground…or the wood that you'd dropped. Why didn't you tell me that you weren't feeling well?"

"I wasn't…I mean…I was feeling fine until right before I blacked out. It just came on so suddenly," Astrid answered, thinking back to the moments leading up to her vision growing dark.

As Astrid and her mother talked, Jay walked over to the window and opened the shades to brighten the room. Instantly, Astrid tensed and tried to move as far away from the light as possible. Immediately, Jay returned the shades to their original positions, leaving just a tiny sliver of light to enter the room. "S-Sorry!" he apologized.

Astrid could feel the strange looks from her parents, but she relaxed now that the room was dark once again. "I-It's okay," she replied. Why had she tensed up like that when the sunlight had entered her room? She liked her room to be bright Now that she really thought about it, Astrid found that she'd acted upon instinct. It was if her body had moved on its own…but why?

"Why don't you get some more rest, Astrid?" her mother broke the tension that had spread throughout the room. "I'll be in later with some chicken noodle soup."

Astrid's parents left the room. Now, it was only Astrid and Jay in the room. Jay was uncharacteristically quiet, still a little startled from Astrid's reaction to the light. Astrid was just as quiet, unsure how to apologize for acting the way she had. What could she even say? She did not even know, herself, why she had shied away from the sunlight.

"Uh…I should probably get home. My mom probably has dinner ready," Jay spoke up. "I'll come back tomorrow, okay?"

Astrid gave a slight nod and Jay left. The room felt so much larger when it was empty and Astrid had never felt more alone. She did not usually spend much time in her bedroom. Only if she was sick…which she was now. What sickness could she possibly have? Was there such an illness that came on as suddenly as this one had? If she was not better within a few days, Astrid knew that her mother would call for the village healer. Hopefully, if that happened, the healer could give Astrid some answers.

Later Astrid's mother, as promised, returned with a large bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup. Astrid had gotten some rest in the time since Jay left, but it had done nothing to help her feel better. In fact, when Astrid's mother had shaken the girl from her sleep, Astrid woke to find that she felt even worse than when she'd fallen asleep. Astrid's mother plopped the bowl of warm soup down for Astrid to eat. Normally, Astrid loved her mother's homemade chicken noodle soup, but, tonight, seeing the thin liquid broth with its chunks of chicken, cut carrots, and thick noodles, just made Astrid want to empty the very little contents of her stomach _ **. I guess that's not too strange,**_ Astrid decided. _**Sometimes when you're sick you just don't want to eat. That doesn't stand out as weird…even though this sickness just doesn't feel normal.**_

For several minutes, Astrid stared down at the soup bowl she held. She knew that she needed to eat if she wanted any hopes for a quick recovery. Still, every time she lifted the spoon, the uneasiness in her stomach would surface once again. Certain that she would not be eating tonight, Astrid set the full bowl of soup aside and lay back down. _**Hopefully if I get plenty of rest, I can still feel better quicker…even if I can't eat.**_

888

The next day passed in much the same way. Astrid slept for most of the day and night. Her waking time was spent in utter misery and pain. She could not eat and she rarely had to relieve herself. It was downright torture.

The pain Astrid felt seemed to spread more with every passing hour. It had started with a splitting headache and spread down her back, clutching tightly at her chest, and down through her legs. It felt as though no part of her body was spared from this intense pain.

The only bright spot in her day was when Jay kept his promise and stopped by to visit. Still wary from yesterday, he made no move to open the window shades. For this Astrid was grateful; she did not want to deal with the sun right now when she felt this awful.

As Astrid's condition continued to worsen, she could sense the concerns radiating from her parents (and from Jay as well). They were all concerned for Astrid's health that was quickly declining from this mysterious illness. Even Astrid was growing more nervous by the hour.

After Jay left that evening, Astrid's mother sat by her daughter's bedside and informed the girl that she would send for the healer tomorrow. Astrid thanked her mother and prayed that the healer could provide answers as to what sickness this was and what she could do to feel better. Astrid's mother left, (taking the still-full bowl of chicken noodle soup with her) soon after relaying this information. As Astrid fell asleep, her thoughts were hopeful for the next day, but she had not the faintest idea that what she would hear tomorrow would not be the news she so desperately wanted to hear.

* * *

 **Well, this chapter was actually almost finished when I took my short leave to go watch some of season 4 of Once Upon a Time. Anyway…what's coming up in the next chapter? Tension! Drama! Answers! It'll be great. Haha.**

 **Thank you all for reading and supporting Nightwalker!**

 **Posted: September 7, 2015**


	5. A Strange and Very Serious Condition

**We're getting into the heart of the prologue. Yeah, can you believe that this is only still the prologue arc of Nightwalker? Anyway, the fun parts are just beginning. I'm super excited to bring you the next chapter of Nightwalker. I hope that you enjoy!**

 **Review Replies:**

 ** _Guest (anonymous)_ : Once Upon A Time is an amazing show. My friends (offline) kept telling me to watch it and I finally did…and…oh man, season 5 has been so intense! Thanks—I hope you enjoy this new chapter!**

 ** _Guest (anonymous)_ : Thanks! I'm glad that you like it!**

 ** _DauterFeralVigilanteDragonLady_ : We'll know that backstory within the next few chapters. I'm thinking that will be revealed in chapter 6. I can say, though, that it was not Hiccup and it's not Jay either. Jay's…got a different backstory.**

 ** _Sara lovelymusic_ : Let's find out what the healer has to say!**

 _ **Anonymous Noob the 2** **nd**_ **: You're welcome…and then the school year started and the updates all came to a halt… That story will be revealed in chapter 6. Although, it's not as interesting a story as readers might guess it to be. Haha.**

 ** _Midnight Wonders_ : He will! The prologue, I'd guess, has about two or three chapters (including this one) left and then we get to present day when Hiccup will make his grand entrance. Jay reminds you of Jack? I guess that makes sense because I was pretty much obsessed with ROTG (mostly Jack) when I started writing this story. It shows, huh? Haha.**

 ** _Amaris Magic_ : I'm glad that you're liking the story so far. Here's the update that you requested. Haha.**

* * *

Prologue  
Chapter 5: A Strange and Very Serious Condition  
Setting: Astrid's bedroom, 1712

Bright and early the next morning, Astrid's mother left to call on the village healer. Not that Astrid would've known, necessarily, how bright it was at that point of the day; she still felt the strange need to avoid the sunlight at all costs.

Even after a night's rest, Astrid felt no better. This sickness that had stricken her was persistent. That was for certain. Hopefully, the healer would come and provide her with strong healing herbs and she would start feeling better before day's end. If not, then another long day of agony was just beginning. Just waiting for the healer to arrive was torture enough. Astrid could not rise from the bed. She had a headache and bouts of dizziness would overtake her any time she tried to sit up from her horizontal position. The sickness was quickly growing worse and it had Astrid wondering what exactly had afflicted her.

The healer arrived later that morning. She was an elderly woman who had decades of experience working with the sick and injured. The healer started by placing the backside of her hand upon Astrid's forehead to check for fever. Surprisingly, there was no fever. In fact—"Your skin is ice cold," the healer remarked, shocked to find no fever linked to this sickness.

Astrid's mother had filled the healer in earlier that morning about the worsening symptoms, so the healer continued checking over Astrid in an attempt to find the cause of her sickness.

When the healer had finished checking over Astrid, she looked between the sickened girl, her parents, and Jay. "In all my years as the village healer, I have never seen any sickness like this." She flipped through the pages of some of her medical books she had brought along. Within the pages of her books, the elderly healer had documented every illness she had come across and how she had treated them all. "There's nothing in any of my books that matches these symptoms," she confirmed. "I can tell you that I've never seen any illness in which the patient has an aversion to sunlight. That is an odd symptom. Combine that with the sudden worsening of all her other symptoms and…we are dealing with a strange and very serious condition."

"W-What can we do to heal her?" Astrid mother nervously wondered.

The healer did not look up from her book and, instead, continued flipping pages, hoping to find the answer that everyone desperately sought. "I…I don't know if we can," she whispered sadly.

Though the healer's words were soft, Astrid's parents and boyfriend still heard and they all let out a collective gasp. "I don't understand," Jay replied, his voice tense in frustration. "You're our village healer. There must be something you can do for Astrid!"

Finally, the healer looked up again at Astrid. What she saw frightened her and she stood up, shocking the three spectators.

"What?" Astrid's mother asked. She did not like the sudden change in the healer's demeanor.

"Your daughter," the healer began, her breath catching. "She's paler than she was just moments ago."

"How can you tell?" Jay asked. How had he not noticed this?

"What does this mean?" Astrid's father asked.

"Now that is a symptom I have seen several times before," the healer muttered, recalling some other cases of pallor in those she had treated in the past. She took a moment to flip between several pages recalling the similarities in each case. "All the times that I have seen pallor in a patient, it was due to a thinning of the blood. These cases were caused by reactions to mosquito bites."

"Mosquito bites?" Jay asked. "You think a mosquito did this?"

"No," the healer replied. "I've never seen a reaction this severe to a mosquito bite. Yet, she grows paler by the minute, so I do believe we are dealing with a blood infection of sorts, one that is causing it to thin rapidly."

"Can you give her a medicinal herb to help her blood, then?" Astrid's father asked, desperate.

The healer again flipped through her books, comparing her notes from the mosquito bite cases. "I'll give you the herb that I used with the other cases, but—and I know you don't want to hear it—I'm not optimistic that it will help. This case…is much more severe than those."

Glancing between her books and Astrid, the healer scribbled down instructions for creating medicine. When she was finished, she passed the note to Astrid's mother. "The dosage is quite high because of the severity at which her blood is thinning. At this rate, the medicine might only…" her voice dropped volume… "slow down the inevitable."

The healer stuck around just long enough to jot down notes about Astrid's condition and prescribed treatment before grabbing all her books and leaving the house. Astrid's parents and Jay solemnly watched the healer leave. This was not the news that any of them had expected or wanted to hear.

"I'll…go mix up some medicine," Astrid's mother told them before leaving the room. Astrid's father followed to help.

Jay knew that Astrid's parents did not approve of him as Astrid's boyfriend. They frowned upon his carefree nature, but right now he was grateful that they seemed content to leave him alone with her. He hated seeing Astrid this way, so sick, dying. "Astrid," he whispered, gently taking her hand and squeezing it in comfort.

Weakly, Astrid opened her eyes. The room was blurry, but Jay's face slowly came into focus. "Jay," her voice was soft, weak from the sickness that ravaged her body.

"H-How much did you hear?" Jay asked, worried that Astrid had heard the terrible diagnosis.

"E-Everything," she replied. "I'm not…surprised, I guess. I feel terrible," she replied, cracking a small smile in an attempt to lighten the situation.

Jay frowned, knowing now that Astrid had heard the healer's words. "Well, you know what I think?" When Astrid didn't reply, Jay continued. "I think the healer's wrong. Your parents are mixing you up some medicine right now. Take that for a couple days and then you'll be all better and we'll go out and have some fun."

Astrid smiled weakly at her boyfriend's optimism. She started to weakly shake her head when she heard a soft knock in the direction of her bedroom door. Her parents had returned with the medicine. Mrs. Hofferson helped Astrid to sit up and gently guided the cup of liquid to help Astrid drink.

The bitter liquid reluctantly slid down Astrid's throat and it was all she could do to prevent herself from spitting it back up. Grimacing, Astrid attempted to back away from the remainder of the liquid in the cup. "This is awful!" she weakly retorted.

"It's going to be strong. That's just the nature of the recipe that the healer provided. Astrid, you have to drink it or you won't feel any better," her mother urged gently.

Reluctantly, Astrid gave in and managed to slowly down the remainder of the mix. Astrid's parents left again, reminding her that she would be taking another cup of the medicine later before bedtime. Lying back on her bed, Astrid groaned. She felt so miserable and hoped that disgustingly bitter medicine would help her to feel better.

Jay stayed by her bedside for the rest of the day. Astrid was comforted by his presence. It brought a weak smile to her face knowing that he was here with her when he could've been out doing what he did best—playing pranks throughout the village.

Several hours after Astrid took her first dose of medication, there came another soft knock to her bedroom door. This time, her mother had not returned for her. It was not yet time to down more of that medicinal drink.

"Jackson, your sister stopped by. You need to return home for dinner."

Jay, who had been sitting slumped slightly by Astrid's bed, sat up straighter. He glanced warily down at Astrid; he really did not want to leave, but he knew how much his mother valued family dinners. Astrid must've seen the conflicted expression on his face because she smiled up at the boy and gently raised a hand to touch his cheek. "Go," she told him. "I'll still be here tomorrow."

Nodding slightly, Jay leaned down and gave Astrid a quick gentle hug. Pulling back, he stood up and smiled down at his girlfriend. "Make sure you drink your medicine later, okay? I'll see you tomorrow."

As Jay left Astrid's home that night, he was unaware that he, in fact, would not be seeing her again tomorrow…or ever.

888

The next time Astrid saw her mother, the older Hofferson was dressed for bed and carrying the dreaded cup of medicine. Astrid groaned, but knew that she couldn't complain too much.

"Feel any better?" Astrid's mother asked as she passed the cup to her daughter.

"A little, I guess, but not really," Astrid answered softly. The scent wafting off the warm liquid wasn't helping.

"Drink the medicine and then get a good night's sleep. Maybe you'll feel better in the morning."

Slowly, Astrid downed the medicine. It was a little easier this time, but it still tasted horrible. When she was finished, Astrid passed the empty cup back to her mother and then made herself comfortable to sleep. Her mother left, extinguishing the candlelight on her way out, bringing total darkness to Astrid's bedroom.

Astrid had trouble sleeping that night. The house grew quiet as her parents went to sleep, but still Astrid lay awake. She just couldn't get comfortable; her room felt so…cold. She pulled on extra wool blankets, but regardless of how many she piled on top of herself, she never felt any warmer.

Time passed, growing later and later. Sometime, late in the evening, Astrid felt herself growing tired finally. A few hours before daybreak, Astrid's body stilled and her eyes closed.

* * *

 **A nice long chapter…and we're halfway through the prologue…over halfway, actually. Two more chapters (I think) and then we move on to the main storyline. I'm thinking we'll get a POV change when we get to the main story. Actually, that's pretty likely. Hope that everyone enjoyed this chapter!**

 **P.S. I'm sure healers of this time didn't know about mosquitoes or blood-thinning, but...whatever, just go with it, okay? Haha.**

 **Thank you all for reading and supporting Nightwalker!**

 **Posted: December 1, 2015**


	6. Welcome To Eternity

**How about that cliffhanger at the end of the last chapter? Shizz just got real, guys! Anyway, it's really going to pick up from here…well, after this chapter, but this is the chapter where many of your questions will be answered, so I'm sure you'll all still enjoy it.**

 **By the way, I am taking my own mythology into the ideas of the vampires…nightwalkers, so it may be different than some of you are used to when thinking of these creatures of night. It shouldn't be too different, though. I'm just going to be combining some ideas from other sources along with my own headcanons about these types of beings. Just figured I would mention that before we get going too deep into the story.**

 **Review Replies:**

 _ **Amaris Magic**_ **: Thanks. Originally, I thought about starting in modern times and leaving readers to figure out the backstory along with Hiccup. However, as I planned out this story, I came up with this elaborate backstory for Astrid and had to write it out first. Also, I'm glad that you enjoyed "Brave". It's always great to hear from readers who have checked out several of my stories on this site.**

 _ **AquaJinx**_ **: We will see Hiccup in the next chapter. This chapter finishes off the prologue. Also, I'm thinking there are not going to be dragons in this story. (Toothless will make an appearance in a different form). With already having vampires…well, nightwalkers, I don't want to go supernatural-overboard.**

 _ **Sara lovelymusic**_ **: We shall find out the fate of Astrid in this chapter. Next chapter, we'll see Hiccup. Hopefully we'll start to answer some of those questions here in this chapter.**

 _ **The Shadow Fright Dragon**_ **: I love when readers don't know what directions my stories will take. It keeps them reading. Let's find out what happened with Astrid.**

 _ **miportuga**_ **: Yeah, I'm worried for her too…and I know what's going to happen.**

 _ **Guest (anonymous)**_ **: Thanks! Yeah, there will definitely be Hiccstrid.**

 _ **Silver Blue Eyed Wolf**_ **: I know! Wasn't it a great cliffhanger? It was…but it wasn't. Okay, I can't really talk because I know what happens. Here's the next chapter!**

* * *

Prologue  
Chapter 6: Welcome To Eternity  
Setting: A dark but otherwise unknown place

Astrid opened her eyes, but it was so dark that she had to blink several times to determine if she had actually done so. _**It must still be night.**_ The last thing Astrid remembered was falling asleep. Still, something felt off and Astrid could not immediately place this strange feeling. _**Am I still in my bed?**_ She had heard talk around the village of some who would sometimes take walks in their sleep and walk to find themselves in unfamiliar places. Astrid had never had that problem, but there was always a first time for everything. Astrid was beginning to wonder if that was the case, though, because this place did not have that familiar comfortable feeling of her bed.

Pushing herself to sit up, Astrid felt something stiff and rather unpleasant. Slowly, her vision adjusted to the darkness and Astrid, with the help of the moonlight, caught sight of what she had just touched. _**A…A corpse. Oh gods!**_ Resisting the urge to scream, Astrid jumped to her feet and backed away from the lifeless body.

Breathing deeply, Astrid reminded herself to relax. _**Clearly, I did take a walk in my sleep just like those others have before. Why of all places though, would I lead myself here? Surely that's what happened. My parents wouldn't…**_

That's when Astrid noticed it, the way she had easily jumped to her feet. _**I'm not sick anymore! I can't believe that disgusting medicine worked! Maybe this…sleepwalking thing was brought on by that medicine. Well, it doesn't matter. I'm cured. I need to get home and tell my parents. They will be so overjoyed…and just wait until Jay finds out tomorrow!**_ Astrid's thoughts raced a mile a minute.

She was just about to race back toward her home when a man's voice stopped her. "Halt!"

Tensing, Astrid turned to face the man. He wore a suit of black and, fluttering in the light night breeze, a cape with a red velvet interior. His skin was a pale shade of white and the moonlight glinted off shiny and sharp white fangs.

Astrid's breath caught in her chest. She had heard the stories of dangerous creatures who roamed the earth at night and now her stupid sickness and effects from that disgusting medicine had pitted her against one. _**There's**_ _**no way I can fight and win against this guy. The stories all say that they are surprisingly strong. I have no chance. Well, that victory was short-lived. Cured only to die moments later. Great.**_

The man must've noticed Astrid's fear because he told her. "Worry not. I have not come to hurt you." He chuckled to himself as if he had just thought of some inside joke. "Besides, I cannot hurt you anyway. You are safe."

Astrid relaxed slightly. "What do you want then? I have to get home. I was never supposed to be out here and I have to tell my parents that…"

"That you are not sick anymore?" the man asked, but the way he'd phrased it gave Astrid the impression that it was not actually a question.

"How did you know what I was going to say?" Astrid narrowed her eyes. "You did not just read my mind, did you?"

"I have my ways," the man replied with a smile. Again, he seemed to know something that Astrid did not and it bothered her. His smile disappeared quickly though. "I cannot allow you to return to the place you called home."

Crossing her arms, Astrid scowled at this man who thought he had the power to control her actions. "And just who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do, anyway?"

"My name is Dracula and I am the head of the nightwalkers."

"Dracula?" Astrid replied, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. "Oh, please. He's just a character in the tales the elders in the village tell to discourage children from leaving the house at night. You don't scare me."

"Then it is a good thing that I am not here to 'scare you'. And, yes, I am Dracula. I am the first nightwalker. My condition came about as a defect I've had since birth. That is how nightwalkers are created. "

"Okay…this has gotten weird fast." _**I can't believe I am talking with a fictionalized person. There's no way that those stories could possibly be true.**_ "Look, Dracula," Astrid asserted, a hint of suspicion and disbelief still gracing her voice. "I said it before. You can't stop me from going back to my home, so step aside and let me pass."

Pushing her way past the man who claimed to be Dracula, Astrid walked toward her house. As she walked away, Astrid heard Dracula call back to her and his words froze her in her tracks.

"Fine. Go back to your home," he told her, his voice flat and stoic. "Don't say I did not warn you when your parents die from the shock."

Astrid whirled around angrily to face Dracula who had not moved from his previous spot. "What are you even talking about?" she yelled. "That they would be shocked to see me alive and well? This is what they wanted. They'll be overjoyed!" she continued to yell, stepping closer to Dracula once again.

"First, I would not yell. You don't want to attract attention. Second, while I agree that you are well, you are most definitely not alive…at least not in your definition of the word."

Astrid, who had tensed in her anger, relaxed only slightly, confused by this new revelation. "Uh…what?"

Stepping closer to Astrid, Dracula's face reflected an expression that looked close to sadness. "Astrid, what I have come to tell you is not an easy topic, to listen to or to speak about. I need you to hear me out and keep an open mind. Can you do that for me?"

Astrid was still skeptic. How could she answer that question? How could she be expected to "keep an open mind" when she had no idea what she was about to hear?

"Or," Dracula suggested, "would it be easier for you if I adopt this form?"

There was a flash of smoke and when it cleared Dracula was replaced by Jay. Astrid backed away a step or two. "J-Jay…"

"Jackson is not here," Dracula reminded Astrid, but she could almost convince herself that he was. Even the voice in which Dracula had spoken sounded so much like Jay. "Now, listen to me, Astrid. Your life has changed immensely. What has happened to you is horrific and I would not wish it upon anyone, but it has happened and now you must accept it."

The only thing that convinced Astrid that she was not here with Jay was the formal manner of speaking which Dracula seemed to use, as if he was centuries old…which he probably was. Jay was always carefree and spoke in such informal ways; it was weird to hear Dracula's formalities spoken in Jay's voice. Though, Astrid was grateful that Dracula had assumed the look of her boyfriend and that almost made up for the anger that she felt that this…whatever he was…had again read her mind (because she was definitely convinced that he had pried his way into her thoughts).

"A few nights ago," Dracula continued in Jay's voice, "you were bitten by a strange person, is that correct?"

It was a little hard for Astrid to remember. The sickness must've affected her mind. Still, she could vaguely remember that night with Jay…and that creature that had attacked her in the woods. She nodded to answer Dracula's question.

"Then, you become very ill, yes?"

Again, Astrid nodded. Even if her thoughts from the strange night had become jumbled, her memory of the illness was clear as day. There was no way she could ever forget that agony and torture.

"That person in the woods," Dracula explained, "was, what we nightwalkers call, a rogue, a nightwalker who sought out the blood of a living human. In his case, he was a fledgling and at a stage where it is extremely difficult to control his thirst for blood, or "blood cravings" as we sometimes refer to it. Contrary to the tales the living humans tell to their children, we do not approve of this practice, taking our blood meals from the living humans, and you can probably figure out why. When a nightwalker feeds on the blood of a living human, that human will, in turn, become a nightwalker themselves…and, as you found out, the process is quite painful."

Astrid gaped at what she had just heard. _**Does that mean…?**_ "So…you're saying that I'm a…?" she began, unable to bring herself to use that word to describe herself.

"Yes, Astrid Hofferson. You are a nightwalker now. That illness was your body's response to the 'turning process'. It is regretfully painful as your blood thins. That is why we drink blood—because a nightwalker's body does not produce it." He must've noticed Astrid's quick breathing as she took in everything that she was hearing because Dracula next informed her, "You don't need to breathe either, actually. Nightwalkers roam the earth, but we are not alive."

"So…it's all true, then? Everything they mentioned in those village stories? The aversion to sunlight and all those different 'charms' or whatever to ward off vampires?"

"Very many of the things that you have likely heard in these stories are indeed true. For instance, you noticed the resistance to sunlight during your illness. It is unknown to even I why we nightwalkers must avoid sunlight. Though we nightwalkers are all-but immortal, sunlight is one of the few things that will end our existence. Among other things that, like sunlight, will terminate our existence are wooden stakes, garlic, and the crucifix. There are several other things and I will teach you about all of that."

Astrid had so many questions, but she couldn't speak them; she had been silenced by the realization and acknowledgement of all that was happening. _**I just woke up into the worst nightmare ever!**_

Dracula must have seen a questioning expression upon Astrid's face because he asked her (in another of those annoying questions that was phrased as a statement), "You have questions. I can answer any question you have. Please, ask me the questions that are weighing on your mind."

Sighing, Astrid consented. "Fine. Am I seriously never going to age another day? What types of meals will I have to eat now? Am I going to develop strange 'powers' like you?" She asked her questions in quick succession, not giving Dracula an opportunity to answer until she ran out of questions.

"Okay, I will now give you the answers you seek. First, yes, you will not grow any older. Your appearance will always be that of a twenty-year old young woman. Before you ask about me, I will answer that too. Though my condition was a defect from birth, I still grew up as normal. The nightwalker defect (when inflicted at birth) will decide when to take its effect. For me, it chose to wait nearly forty years. Next, you asked about meals. As I mentioned before, feeding off the blood of a living human is strictly forbidden. There may be instances where humans will seek out nightwalkers and beg to be turned. The Council of Nightwalkers, our governing body, is adamant about the rules of these instances. I will explain those in more detail throughout your fledgling training. For meals, most nightwalkers prey upon the blood of animals. Trust me, it's no different from the blood that used to flow through your body. You'll get used to it. Food and drink that you used to consume in your mortal life will no longer sustain you. You must feed upon blood Council is working to develop something they're calling "blood packets" which would make it easier to feed, but they're not ready for use just yet."

The information was much to take in, as Astrid had expected, but she'd prefer knowing the answers than working to figure everything out on her own.

"As for developing powers, that varies between nightwalkers, but I can say with some certainty that you will most likely develop some abilities that you did not have as a living human. It can take quite a while, but that matters not when you have eternity."

Knowing that Dracula had to be centuries old, Astrid grew curious as to what abilities he possessed. "So, what powers do you have, then?"

"I have many," Dracula answered, still in Jay's familiar voice. "Obviously, you can see that I have the ability to shapeshift. Many nightwalkers can only shapeshift into animals. Taking on the form of a human, living or deceased, is an extremely difficult process. In addition to the shapeshifting, I can also read minds (which I can tell you figured out as well). Also, I can invoke influence upon others. That ability is called hypnosis. However, I do not use it often. Lastly, I can see moments in time, both past and future. That ability can be greatly useful. Of course, the abilities that I have are not guaranteed to be the abilities that you will develop. Every nightwalker's abilities differ, as I mentioned earlier."

"You said that it's difficult shapeshifting and taking a human form. I can understand that it would be hard to take on the form of someone who is dead. That would definitely create some hysteria and confusion among the living. I guess it's not as hard to take on the form of someone who is alive, like you're doing now with Jay."

In a flash of smoke, Dracula assumed his regular appearance. "I only took on that form because I saw in your mind that this boy was important to you. Unfortunately, as I also told you, I can see moments in both the past and future and I can affirm to you that this boy is also no longer among the living."

"W-What?" Astrid stuttered. _**That can't be right. Jay can't be…**_ "I don't understand. Jay wasn't bitten by that…that rogue, I guess you called it."

"You are correct," Dracula confirmed. "Jackson was not bitten by the rogue fledgling. That is not how he died. I will tell you, though, that Jackson died a hero, a savior. His sister's life was threatened and he saved her…at the cost of his own."

Dracula's gaze turned skyward. "It will be light out soon. We need to take shelter before the sun comes up. Follow me and I will show you to my shelter. Tomorrow night, we will begin your fledgling training."

He began to walk away from the village, but Astrid remained rooted to the spot. _**Could it be? Is Jay really…?**_ The only thing that made the news easier was the knowledge that she wouldn't be seeing him again even if he was still alive. That part of her life was over; it had died right along with her humanity. Walking quickly, Astrid caught up to Dracula. It wasn't like she had much of a choice. She had nowhere else to go…yet.

As she walked near Dracula, following him to this so-called shelter, the older nightwalker looked down upon her with a smile that concealed his fangs. "Welcome to eternity."

* * *

 **Honestly, I knew even before writing it that this chapter was going to be long. Needed to explain a fair amount of the nightwalker mythology that will provide the basis of this story, ya know? There'll be more of that to come as the story progresses.**

 **And that brings us to the end of the prologue! Main storyline begins with the next chapter. Get excited!**

 **Thank you all for reading and supporting Nightwalker!**

 **Posted: December 31, 2015**


	7. Irrational Fear--Nothing Ever Changes

**Told you all that I'd be back soon! It was just a two-week hiatus this time. Well, as promised, the main storyline of Nightwalker begins now! Hope you're ready for a new character. Not an OC…just…a character who hasn't been in this story yet.**

 **Review Replies:**

 **The Silent Fury: Now? Haha. You'll see!**

 **Anonymous Noob the 2** **nd** **: Great question! Allow me to explain (because some readers may also have had that question) what was going on in that scene. The place where Astrid awoke is a location where the village would store the recently dead before they had the chance to give them a proper burial. Unknown to Astrid, chapter 6 takes place the night after the conclusion of her turning (which, as Dracula mentioned, requires the living human to die). So, timeline-wise, she slept deeply through the day and then slipped away to death in the early evening. The sun was all-but down by the time her body was taken to the corpse pile. As for Jay's death, no, Astrid did not kill him. Hope that answered your questions! Also, I looked up the dog breed that you mentioned. They really are an impressive breed. I think I may have to use that suggestion when I get around to incorporating Toothless into the story. Usually, when I make him a dog, I make him a black lab, but I like this breed better.**

 **Sara lovelymusic: Yes! Last chapter was a pretty good one, huh? As for your question, I'd say that's a probable guess. Happy New Year! I hope yours has been going splendidly so far.**

* * *

Chapter 7: Irrational Fear—Nothing Ever Changes  
Setting: Berk, a small town in central Pennsylvania, close to the state capitol city, 2005

"…then the tall pale-faced man turned, moonlight glinting off of his sharp and long white teeth and he said…" The boy telling the story grinned and deepened his voice as best he could (quite a task for a 10-year old boy) "'Welcome to eternity'."

The other boys, crowded around the campfire all jumped.

"Snotlout, that is not funny!" the heavy-set blond screeched.

"What? Are you afraid of the vampires, Fishlegs?" the other blond, thinner with greasy long hair, asked.

"N-No, Tuffnut. Don't be ridiculous," Fishlegs answered, but his voice still took on a slight quiver and the boys (sans one) all snickered when Fishlegs turned to take a careful glance at the surrounding forest.

"Alright, Boy Scouts," a Scottish-accented voice boomed, instantly grabbing their attention. "It's time to get to bed. Long day ahead of us tomorrow. We're finishing our final survival day and, once we've earned that badge, it's time to return home." The troop leader, affectionately nicknamed Gobber, put out the fire and made his way to his private tent.

Each boy had been assigned to be "tent buddies" with a fellow troop member. Samuel "Snotlout" Jorgenson and Timothy "Tuffnut" Thorsten had been paired with each other. Franklin "Fishlegs" Ingermann was paired with the remaining boy, the timid Hanson Harrison Haddock—better known as "Hiccup". Hiccup had kept quiet during scary story time, but his cousin Snotlout's story had really scared him; he wasn't all that brave to begin with, actually. Quietly, Hiccup walked with Fishlegs to their nearby tent. Fishlegs, one of Hiccup's only friends, was used to the boy's silence and did not try to initiate conversation; when Hiccup wanted to talk, he would.

Hiccup lay awake that night. He stared up toward the pointed top of the tent as his thoughts sped through his mind. Hiccup hated Boy Scouts. He was only enrolled in the program because his father thought it would "be good" for him. He hated the nickname that had come out of Boy Scouts. Sure, everyone in the troop had a nickname. Even their Scout Leader was nicknamed Gobber. Still, though, Hiccup hated his nickname. The nickname had circulated around Berk Elementary School and now everyone called him "Hiccup". Even his teachers and his parents called him by that cursed nickname. He couldn't get away from it! It hadn't been his fault that he'd gotten that particularly nasty case of the hiccups! Now he was forever tormented by it!

Somewhere close by in the forest, a twig snapped and Hiccup bolted upright with a gasp. The sudden movement woke Fishlegs who had fallen asleep a short time ago. Hiccup's breathing quickened as he looked toward where he'd heard the noise.

"Hiccup?" Fishlegs questioned sleepily.

Slowly, Hiccup lay back down. "It's okay. Go back to sleep, Fishlegs."

"Are you okay, Hiccup? You've been pretty quiet since Snotlout's vampire story. Quiet even for you."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Hiccup answered quickly, hoping that his affirmation didn't make Fishlegs more suspicious. "We need to sleep. You heard what Gobber said."

Closing his eyes, Hiccup tried to sleep, but dreams of vampires plagued, tormenting his sleep, all night.

888

Hiccup woke up to the sound of his alarm, set to wake him up for another wonderful day of school. He'd had the dream again. Actually, it was more like a nightmare. Why did his mind insist on tormenting him with that memory of Snotlout's vampire story? It had been five years since that night and Hiccup was still irrationally scared of vampires. Didn't help that society was absolutely fascinated by the idea of vampires. The Twilight series and The Vampire Diaries TV show were both extremely popular among the girls of Berk High School. It also didn't help that Hiccup couldn't really voice his fears to anyone. How ridiculous was it to be scared of creatures that didn't even exist?

Picking up his pace so that he didn't miss the bus, Hiccup threw on a simple pair of brown pants and a long green tunic. Over the tunic, he added a brown vest that matched his pants. For the final touch, Hiccup pulled on a pair of brown boots.

Though he was not hungry, Hiccup ate a quick bowl of cereal to satisfy his parents before leaving the house to walk to his bus stop. Because he lived at the top of a small hill, Hiccup had to take the five-minute walk down to the main road to his bus stop. It was fine in the early fall and late spring. Hiccup enjoyed the brief moment of peace and solitude. Most of the school year, when it was dark during Hiccup's morning walk, the five minutes it took him to walk down his driveway to the main road felt like a lifetime. Not that he expected a vampire or one of his other irrational fears (werewolves, zombies, etc.) to jump from the shadows and bite him, but that wouldn't stop other animals from doing so. When Hiccup was younger (in elementary school and his early years of middle school), his parents would give him a ride down to the main road; it was nice because he was safe and warm (during the winter months, Berk could get quite cold). Now that he was older, they didn't and if he begged for that ride, Hiccup knew his father would give him that look again. The one that clearly mocked the boy's small stature.

The school year had only just started few weeks ago, so it was still bright and warm for Hiccup's morning walk. He was almost to the main road when Hiccup heard a twig snap in the woods nearby. Instantly, Hiccup's mind flashed back to that night in the tent with Fishlegs. _**It can't be a vampire because it's daylight. It can't be a werewolf because there is no full moon in the sky. What if it's a zombie?**_ Hiccup's mind instantly feared the worst and Hiccup raced down the rest of the hill.

The bus could not come soon enough. Not that the atmosphere on the bus was any better, but at least Hiccup knew he would be safe from whatever it was that had been lurking in the woods. _**Wish I could say that I was also safe from…**_

"What's the matter, Hiccup?" A voice taunted from the seat behind the still-slightly-gasping boy. "Were the vampires chasing you again?" Snotlout laughed as if the idea itself was hilarious. "Newsflash, Useless, the sun is out, so the vampires are not."

Hiccup rolled his eyes and sunk down in his seat, hoping that his cousin would leave him alone. "That was five years ago," Hiccup muttered. Not that it actually mattered. Nothing ever changed. The bus ride was always torture. Arriving at Berk High School everyday did little to alleviate the situation. At school, the other students ignored Hiccup, leaving him on his own to face the torment from Snotlout.

Pulling out a book, Hiccup opened it and pretended to read. It would make him sick if he actually did try to read the words upon the page, but he had become adept at flipping pages every so often to keep up the appearance that he was actually doing something. Usually, Snotlout would not torment Hiccup if the smaller boy was "reading". Usually.

A short while later, the bus stopped outside the front doors of Berk High School. The small high school stood, waiting, appearing the same as it always did. Again, nothing ever changed. It was always the same students who entered the school and the same students who would exit at the end of the school day. Families did not often move out of the school district and it was even rarer for Berk High School to welcome new students (even between school years). The Berk School District community was tight-knit and, in some ways, that was quite okay with Hiccup. Everyone knew each other and it was quite common to completely recognize the names and faces of every student in your graduating class.

That was why it was so strange when the school principal stopped by Hiccup's homeroom that morning. The principal, in his freshly-pressed suit, stepped into the room and informed the class that a new student would be joining their homeroom and asked all students to welcome her to Berk High School. A blonde girl stepped into the classroom after the principal and Hiccup found that he could not take his eyes off of her. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a neat single braid and her bright blue eyes seemed to sparkle, catching the light from the ceiling of the classroom and reflecting it back out over the staring students.

"Good morning," the girl spoke in a voice so uncharacteristic of a new student. She didn't sound timid or nervous. It sounded like she had given new student introductions many times before.

 _ **Maybe she's from a military family?**_ Hiccup reasoned.

"Thanks for the welcome. I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you. My name is Astrid Hofferson."

* * *

 **Not much of a cliffhanger…unless you've been keeping up with this story. So…yeah, it's a bit of a cliffhanger. Now I just have to go back into my notes and figure out the plot points I came up with for this story. Maybe I should write them down…**

 **P.S. Hiccup's irrational fears are based on mine. Those three are the three things that I'm technically afraid of…and here I am writing a vampire story. That's kinda been hard for me…especially when I type up chapters late at night.**

 **Also, before I forget again, I know nothing about Boy Scouts. I was not one, so…hopefully that scene was portrayed well enough. I did a little research, but only a little.**

 **Thank you all for reading and supporting Nightwalker!**

 **Posted: January 17, 2016**


	8. The Enigma That Is Astrid Hofferson

**I actually started "writing" this chapter earlier, but then I realized that I had no idea what would happen in this chapter. So, I paused to create a rough outline for the story. For some reason, I just need some semblance of structure before I write. It's weird. Haha.**

 **Review Replies:**

 _ **Sara lovelymusic**_ **: Yes! He has arrived! Haha.**

 _ **Anonymous Noob the 2**_ _ **nd**_ **: You are most welcome! The questions about Astrid will be answered. Probably not in this chapter, but very soon.**

 _ **Guest (anonymous)**_ **: Thanks! I'm glad that you like my stories.**

 _ **TheSilentFury**_ **: That will be quite a story when Hiccup learns this detail…if he learns it! Haha.**

 ** _fireflower (anonymous)_ : Good question! I don't actually have any fanart for this fanfiction because I can't draw. Haha. Although (a general notice, really), if anyone wants to draw some, I'd be down for that. Haha. **

**_Kurokawa Kazunari_ : Looks like you're starting to figure this story out! I will say, though, that—as with all my stories—just when you think you have some idea, I'll throw in a YN-twist just to keep you on your toes. The "How is Astrid at school during the day?" question will be answered within a few chapters. It's been in my plans since the development stages of prewriting. Haha. Also, this chapter is long—almost triple my usual length!**

* * *

Chapter 8: The Enigma That Is Astrid Hofferson

"Thanks for the welcome. I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you. My name is Astrid Hofferson."

"Well, welcome to Berk High School, Astrid," the homeroom teacher greeted. "You may take the seat next to Haddock in the back of the room."

Hiccup cringed. It wasn't that he wasn't looking forward to sitting next to the new girl, but she was just so…perfect. And he was…Hiccup, just Hiccup. Astrid was pretty, probably now the prettiest girl in school and Hiccup could feel his throat closing in on itself as Astrid walked toward her seat. _**Good thing homeroom is only ten minutes in length. Still, how will I ever focus on completing last minute homework now? Guess I'll just fail.**_

Chancing a glance at Astrid, Hiccup watched as she looked over all her new student paperwork. _**I wonder if she needs help finding her classes. Berk High School can be pretty confusing to navigate. Still, would it be weird if I asked her if she needed help?**_

Before Hiccup could decide, he heard someone whisper to Astrid, a flirtatious edge to the masculine voice. "Hey, you need any help? Because, you know, I'd be the perfect person to ask." _**Of course, it just had to be Sam. You'd never guess that he and I were cousins!**_

"Jorgenson!" their homeroom teacher barked out Samuel's last name. "You know the expectations! Silent homeroom!"

Hiccup resisted the urge to snicker slightly. _**About time someone put Snotlout in his place!**_

The bell rang, signaling the end of homeroom and students exited to make their way to their first period classes. Hiccup hung back slightly and tried to muster up some courage to introduce himself to the new girl. He noticed that she seemed to take slightly longer to pack up her papers. _**Maybe she's more nervous than she lets on?**_

Students began to filter into the room that served as Hiccup's and Astrid's homeroom. _**How horrible!**_ Hiccup commented silently. _**First period Algebra with Mrs. Wenton. There really are kids out there who are more unlucky than me!**_

Hiccup approached the door at the same time as Astrid. "Uh…hey?" he greeted once they had both exited out into the bustling hallway. His voice sounded weak even to himself. "Welcome to Berk High School. Need any help finding any of your classes?"

"Hi," Astrid greeted. "I think I'll be okay. The office gave me a map of the school. Besides, I'm used to being the "new student". My…family moves often."

Her words faltered slightly and Hiccup took notice but he did not comment. "Well, our school's pretty easy to navigate. All freshman core classes—you know, Math, English, Science, and History—are held in this wing. Although…what math class are you taking? Some are held upstairs in the sophomore wing."

Hiccup watched as Astrid looked down her schedule, finally finding her afternoon math class. "Geometry during period 8 in room 208."

"Ah, yeah, that one is upstairs and that reminds me of another trick. For the most part, classrooms are numbered strategically. The room numbers that begin with one are on the first floor and the room numbers that begin with two are upstairs. There are some room numbers that begin with three, but they're over near the gym. I think they ran out of numbers when they went to number those rooms because they're located in the school's newest addition that opened…almost ten years ago now."

Taking a quick glance up at the clock on the wall, Hiccup saw that he only had a minute to make it to his first class on time. He wasn't worried; his classroom was just a very short distance down the hall from homeroom. _**Hopefully Astrid will make it to her first class on time…but she's new, so they'll probably be lenient with her today.**_ "So…any questions before we go our separate ways to period 1?"

"Just one. Who are you? I mean…you helped me out and never actually told me your name."

 _ **Huh…I guess I never did actually introduce myself.**_ "Oh…sorry. My name is Hanson…but most people refer to me as Hiccup. It's a nickname that my cousin Sam Jorgenson…that guy from homeroom…came up with and it kinda…stuck. Some of the teachers even call me 'Hiccup' now. It's not the best name, but there are some days when it feels even more familiar to me than my real name."

"Well then, Hiccup," Astrid replied, slowing the nickname as she spoke, testing it. "I thank you for the help. See you around."

They went their separate ways and Hiccup walked into his first class, just barely making it into the room before the bell rang. _**I can't believe it. I actually spoke with the beautiful new girl…Astrid. I spoke with her and survived…better yet, nothing embarrassing happened. Yes!**_

"Hanson Haddock! Take your seat! The bell already rang so sit now or I'm marking you tardy."

 _ **Way to ruin my good moment, Teach!**_ "Of course," Hiccup answered, looking down as he took his seat.

Hiccup figured that he would not see Astrid Hofferson again. Berk High School had a large student population and the chance of encountering one specific student in the hallways was low—which was good when Hiccup determined the possibility of running into his overpowering cousin Samuel "Snotlout" Jorgenson.

As Hiccup had expected, he did not run into Astrid again… until 4th period. During 4th period, Hiccup had Career Development/Planning, a class run by their grade level guidance counselor and required of all freshmen students. Apparently, the school's idea of preparing students for post-secondary education and employment was to "check in" with them every other year and require them to take classes that would "open your eyes to your options and opportunities". It was a two-part class. This year, every other day, was the Career Development part. Determining your options and creating a plan based on what you thought you wanted to do after high school. Then, in two years, they would meet again in class with their guidance counselor to plan for what they would do after their senior year of high school. Also, in 11th grade Career Planning class, they would learn about resumes and interviews and other practical skills related to job searches.

Though Hiccup was grateful for these classes, he knew that it would do little to help him; his future had been determined from birth. The only decision he had to make was to determine which prestigious business program he would enroll into after high school. Being the son of the CEO of Berk's largest corporation, Hiccup was expected to join his father's staff and eventually take over when his father retired. Even though Hiccup's' career path was already decided, he was still required to take both career classes and pass them before he could graduate.

Hiccup had been working on finishing his Career Development homework to turn in at the start of class when Astrid walked into the large classroom. The large class of students grew quiet when Astrid walked in the door. The absence of noise is what caught Hiccup's attention and he looked up. His pencil slipped from his hands but he made no move to pick it up again. He hadn't expected that Astrid would be placed in his Career Development class.

Their guidance counselor, Mrs. Bana, had sat students in alphabetical order at the start of the school year and she was determined not to mess up that order. For that reason, she asked all students seated after Hanson Haddock to move one seat back so that Astrid Hofferson could have the seat directly behind Hanson.

During today's period, Mrs. Bana had a worksheet that the students would use to complete some in-class research. Everyone in the class would decide on a college major that they could possibly see themselves studying. Then, they would look into three different colleges or universities and, using the worksheet, determine their total costs for a possible four years of study.

Once Mrs. Bana had finished giving the instructions and handing out the worksheets, Hiccup walked over to the laptop cart and fought his way through his classmates to grab a laptop. The laptops were always slow to load after logging in, so Hiccup knew that he had a couple minutes to look down the worksheet. _**Oh great…I don't think I even want to know how much it'll cost to attend the prestigious type of business school that my dad wants me to attend.**_

As he read down the worksheet, Hiccup felt a small tap on her right shoulder. Turning around, he saw Astrid staring at him from behind her laptop. "Sorry to bother you, but could you help me?" she asked him in a whisper.

Hiccup blinked, gaping slightly. Astrid was asking him for help? Was that really so odd? She was new, after all…but he was Hiccup; few ever even talked with him and no one ever asked him for help. "Uh…you're not bothering me," he whispered back, silently cursing his stammering reaction. "What do you need help with?"

"Well…logging into the laptop. I think they may have briefly explained it to me, but I don't remember. They gave me a lot of information this morning."

Hiccup smiled. "Oh, yeah. No problem. I understand. There's a lot to know. Anyway, logging in is pretty easy." Moving to see Astrid's laptop screen, Hiccup kneeled beside her desk to show her how to log in. "Do you remember your username and password? It's usually the first letter or two of your first name and your full last name…unless it's really long and then they adapt it. Like, my username is hhaddock."

"Oh, I know mine now. It was ahofferson. My password, though…I don't remember it. It was a bunch of upper- and lower-case letters and a few numbers."

"Yeah, they always generate some bogus password like that. After you log in, the computer will prompt you to change it to something you'll actually remember," Hiccup explained. "Did the office give you a paper with that password listed on it?"

Astrid looked through her folder and found the paper that Hiccup was referencing. As Hiccup overlooked, she typed in her username and password. Accepting both, the laptop began its startup procedures.

"This part takes forever," Hiccup cautioned. "While it loads up, I guess I can explain the portal that Mrs. Bana was talking about. The one that we have to log in to so we can complete this classwork."

At the top of the page that Mrs. Bana had passed out, Hiccup wrote out a web address. "It'll probably be bookmarked, but in case it isn't, we have to log in to this website. Then, there's this search function where we can research different jobs…or colleges…or majors. Once you get to the website, these directions on this worksheet will make more sense."

By this point, Astrid's laptop had finished loading and was ready to use. "Well, there you go," Hiccup replied. "Let me know if you have any other questions."

Now that he had helped Astrid out, Hiccup returned to his seat to work on his own classwork. He decided to base his research on the notion that he enroll in a business program. To make his search worthwhile, Hiccup chose three very different colleges. He looked at an option of beginning with two years of community college before moving on to a larger university. Then, he researched a moderately priced university. Finally, Hiccup looked into a pricey well-known university. After he had filled out his worksheet, Hiccup added the numbers for each of the three colleges and universities he had researched.

Finally finished, Hiccup closed out of the website and logged off of his laptop. Class would soon be over, so he returned his laptop back to the cart and took his seat once again. As he returned to his seat, he noticed Astrid staring blankly at her laptop screen. _**Is she having problems with the website? It's not too hard to navigate, but she is new.**_ Taking his seat, Hiccup turned in his seat to ask Astrid, "You doing okay? I mean…you've been pretty quiet, but…"

"I'm doing fine, Hiccup," Astrid quietly answered. "It's just…"

"You're not having problems navigating the website, are you?" Hiccup asked, interrupting Astrid. "I mean…it's not too hard to understand, but…"

"It's not that," Astrid replied, interrupting Hiccup. "It's just…I've never really given much thought to what I might do after high school. I guess that happens a lot to students who move often. I just never know where I'll be within a year, so I don't plan too much long-term, you know."

Hiccup nodded. "Yeah, that actually makes sense. You know, since you're new and all, I'll bet if you talked with Mrs. Bana, she'd let you hold off this assignment for later and use this time to research some careers and universities."

Astrid nodded too and lowered the lid of her laptop. "Yeah, I'll go talk with her now and see what she says."

Pulling out his homework, Hiccup worked on his assignments until the class period ended. The whole time, he kept glancing up at the conversation between Astrid and their guidance counselor. Finally, just before the end of the class period, Astrid returned to her seat. Hiccup wanted to ask about their conversation, but it wasn't really his business to pry into. Besides, the end-of-the-class-period bell rang before he could form the question.

On the way out the door, Hiccup caught up to Astrid. "So, I take it that everything worked out, then?" he asked, hoping to find out more about Astrid's conversation with their guidance counselor.

"Yeah," Astrid nodded. "Mrs. Bana was very understanding and she gave me some resources to check out before the next Career Development class."

"So, you've really never given any thought to your plans after high school?" Hiccup asked, curious.

"No, not really. I'm guessing that you have, though," Astrid observed. "I mean, you finished that classwork pretty quickly."

Hiccup flushed slightly. Astrid had taken notice of something he'd done! Usually no one paid much attention to him. "I guess you could say that. My life is already pretty much decided for me. The only choice I have to make is which business college I'm going to apply to after high school."

"And…you're okay with that?" Astrid wondered. "Having your life path already decided for you?"

"No," Hiccup answered honestly. "But what choice do I have? You're new here, but if you'd get to know me, then you'd understand what I mean."

Astrid smiled. "Maybe I will just have to get to know you, then."

Hiccup smiled a clenched smile. As much as he'd like that, he knew that if Astrid ever were to figure out more about him, that he was known as "Hiccup the Useless" by many in the school, she'd probably never want to hang around with him ever again. "You don't want to do that," he mumbled softly.

As they walked back toward the freshman wing of Berk High School, Astrid continued the conversation, much to Hiccup's surprise. "At least there's a class that will help me to think about what I want to do after high school. Today was enlightening."

"Yeah, I guess," Hiccup replied. "It'd be more interesting to me if I could actually choose what I wanted to do with my life after high school."

"At least you have given it all some thought, though," Astrid reasoned. "I mean…I'll probably end up working at the local blood bank." Seeing Hiccup's glance at the obscure statement, Astrid added, "Or something."

They were almost to the spot where they would have to part ways, but now Hiccup was curious. "Why the blood bank?" he asked, wondering.

"I dunno," Astrid shrugged. "I like to help people and I'm not really one to get squeamish at the sight of blood, so I guess the job wouldn't be so bad."

"Then why not go to college to become a nurse…or a doctor…or some kind of surgeon…or any profession in the medical field?" Hiccup rambled, still wondering. "Sure would pay better than the blood bank."

Astrid shrugged. "Sure, I guess, but money isn't always everything."

"Yeah, I know it's not, but…" Hiccup started, however he dropped it as he approached the hallway where his next class was located. "Well, I guess I'll go to my class because…you know…school…and all."

"Oh, I know. School," Astrid joked back. "See you around, then, Hiccup."

As Hiccup approached the room where his next class was held, he found that he couldn't stop thinking about Astrid Hofferson. She was…different (in a good way of course), but, in some ways, she was so enigmatic. What was her story? Students rarely just decided to move into (or out of, too) the Berk School District. The more he tried to puzzle out the mystery that was Astrid Hofferson, the more Hiccup found that he was curious to learn more about her…and someday, maybe, he would finally figure her out.

* * *

 **Knew I should've just finished this chapter before while I was thinking of the ending. I knew exactly what I wanted to write and then…this happened. Hopefully it wasn't too…horrible, I guess.**

 **Extra-long chapter for everyone! It was just shy of 3,000 words (chapter content only). You're welcome. P.S. Yes, I did base Berk High School after my own high school. Keeps my memories alive, I guess. Haha.**

 **Thank you all for reading and supporting Nightwalker!**

 **Posted: March 31, 2016**


	9. The Last First Day of School Ever

**I've gotten several questions about Astrid, so I think it's time for a chapter featuring her. I don't want to say too much because I don't want to give anything away, but I think this chapter will answer some of the popular questions about Astrid. Also, this chapter will take us back to the beginning of the day. That way it can answer more questions about Astrid's daily life.**

 **Review Replies:**

 _ **Anonymous Noob the 2**_ _ **nd**_ **: Well, I hope that you've read the chapter by now and that it also helped to make your day just a little better.**

 _ **Supergoddad**_ **: I'm glad that you enjoyed it. Here's the next chapter.**

 _ **The Shadow Fright Dragon**_ **: I'm glad that you liked the last chapter. Haha. Yeah, the "blood bank comment" literally just popped into my head as I was planning this story and I had to use it. I will hint, though, that it will come back at least one more time. It's too good to just let it die. Haha.**

 _ **Sara lovelymusic**_ **: Surprisingly, I had not actually thought about that. I suppose there would be different school districts as you mentioned in your review. Haha.**

 _ **Silver Blue Eyed Wolf**_ **: That is what we are all wondering…and an answer might be touched upon in this chapter. I'm glad you like the reference. I did too! Haha.**

 _ **fireflower (anonymous)**_ **: That's why I do try to answer reviews. I mean, you guys take the time to say something, so I should take the time to reply. That will be a fairly big part of this story. Hiccup coming to terms with Astrid's…condition.**

 ** _King Plasma_ : More? Haha. Of course! Here's the next chapter!**

 ** _Nightstorm (anonymous)_ : Yep, I'm continuing this story. It just took me forever to write this chapter. Hope it's good!**

* * *

Chapter 9: The Last First Day of School Ever  
Setting: An Abandoned Victorian Home; Early Morning

The bedroom's dark shades were drawn tightly over the windows, catching all sunlight and repelling it before it could enter the room. All the curtains in the house were dark; no sunlight found its way into the house. The girl had made sure of this before claiming the abandoned Victorian house as her own. It had been quite the fixer-upper then. Full of cobwebs, but already furnished; the last owners had left hastily and most of their belongings had remained. After some dusting and touch-ups, the home was good enough, livable.

 _ **How many "homes" has this been now?**_ The girl wondered as she woke up in her dark bedroom. _**Well, it's been, what, 300 years already?**_ She could hardly believe it. It had been roughly 300 years, since she, Astrid Hofferson, had awoken to realize that she had become a resident of the night, a Nightwalker. Dragging herself from the bed, Astrid sighed. _**First day of school…again.**_ How many different schools had she attended over the years? She was 320 years old; it didn't seem right that she would have to still attend school. While it was great to see the changes in education over the years, Astrid was tired of being an eternal student. _**Berk High School, huh. This will probably be the last one,**_ she decided. _**No more first days of school. No more new student act. No more. Never again.**_

Astrid made her way down to the room that had once been the kitchen. Though all the appliances still remained, Astrid never used them. Granted, she had no electricity, but that mattered not; she didn't need electricity anyway. Not when she could see in the dark. The only thing she needed was refrigeration for her meals. The ice that she kept stocked in the sink provided all the refrigeration that she needed. Pulling one of the pouches out from the ice, Astrid saw that the ice level was getting low again. _**Guess I'll need to buy some more ice next time I work.**_

She had worked last night which was one of the reasons why she was less than eager to wake up this morning for yet another "first day of school". Carefully, Astrid opened the pouch and added a small amount of water from the melted ice. These artificial blood pouches were a relatively new invention for use by the Nightwalkers. Council had developed them around the turn of the 20th century. The artificial blood pouches were convenient in that Nightwalkers no longer had to spend their nights tracking and hunting animals to kill for their blood meal. The invention of artificial blood pouches also helped to cut down on the number of rogue Nightwalkers. However, the artificial blood pouches, while convenient, also had their fair share of flaws. First, they required constant refrigeration, which probably wasn't too bad for the Nightwalkers that tried to live "normal" lives, but for Nightwalkers like Astrid who preferred to live in abandoned houses, finding suitable refrigeration was a chore. When supplies ran low, new blood pouches needed to be ordered directly from Council located in Transylvania. Bats would then deliver the order of pouches to the requesting Nightwalker. To ensure that the blood pouches could be shipped, the blood was produced in a way that made it very thick. When she'd first used the blood pouches, Astrid had tried to feed without adding water and it was absolutely repulsive, like sludge oozing its way down her throat. Adding just a few drops of water to make the blood thinner, Astrid had found, made the blood pouch contents much more bearable.

When she had finished, Astrid tossed her empty blood pouch into the trash and walked into the (at-one-time) dining room to pick up the backpack that she'd packed last night before leaving for work. Astrid was just about to leave but then she remembered that she hadn't taken her medicine yet. On her way out, Astrid stopped in the kitchen to grab one of the pills that she had stored away in a cabinet. These pills were another fairly new invention from Council. In fact, the pills were even newer than the blood pouches. Blood pouches were created around the start of the 1900s and the pills came out in…1970, perhaps? Astrid could not remember the exact year because years always seemed to run together. A side effect of immortality.

With practiced efficiency, Astrid swallowed the pill without aid from water. It only took minutes before it took effect. Astrid's pale skin tanned and she could feel herself growing weaker. If she would've looked into a mirror, Astrid would have seen her crystal-blue eyes dull to a more normal shade of blue. The pills were designed for Nightwalkers to live normal lives without fear. When they took the pills, Nightwalkers would not have to worry about stepping outside into the sunlight. They did not have to fret that they would be discovered to be inhuman. Why didn't they have to worry? Because, with the effects of the pill, they were, essentially, mere humans. After taking the pill, Nightwalkers had no access to any of their powers and they took on a more human-like appearance. The only thing that the pill did not do was eliminate the need for blood feedings. It was not a miracle worker and could not restore the blood that no longer ran through a Nightwalker's internal system. Still, that was a small price to pay and the pill was very popular among the Nightwalker species.

Astrid packed a couple more pills into one of the smaller storage pouches inside her backpack. Yet another downside to the pill—there was no guarantee when its effects would wear off. Luckily, there were warning signs and experienced Nightwalkers like Astrid could easily recognize the signs as their powers would begin to return. Once their powers started to return, Nightwalkers had only a brief period of time, sometimes as short as ten minutes to either take another pill or find a place to shelter themselves out of direct sunlight until the sun had set.

When she was finally confident that she was all set for yet another first day of school, Astrid left the house through the backdoor. Though it was probably safe to leave through the side or front doors, Astrid knew that she could never be too cautious. If neighbors noticed someone leaving from an "abandoned" house, there was bound to be questions and she did not have access to her powers (to use mind persuasion and memory alteration) until after sunset. No, it was much safer to just exit the home through the back door and into the private yard. It was still possible that neighbors would catch her walking through the back yard, but that should be easier to explain.

No one questioned Astrid as she made her way to the sidewalk. _**I hope this school is within walking distance because it would be pretty hard to get a school bus to stop here at this abandoned house. Maybe I could request a stop at the street corner…but that might also attract questions from neighbors and other kids on the bus. Gods, I am way too old to deal with all of this crap. That's it. No more "new schools" after this one. I'm done.**_

Astrid walked the distance from the abandoned Victorian house to Berk High School. It was a little longer than she would have liked, but it was still better than riding a school bus. As she approached the school, Astrid looked around, taking in her surroundings. The school seemed nice enough, definitely better than some of the high schools she'd "attended" over the years.

In the front of the school was the bus loop where the school buses stopped to drop off their students. Astrid walked toward to bus loop so she could follow those students into the school. Surely if she followed some students, she'd eventually find the school's main office. It couldn't be that hard to find; it must be somewhere close to the main entrance to the school. Berk High School was larger than Astrid had expected, especially for such a small town.

When she stepped into the school, Astrid was relieved to see that there were signs overhead (and on the walls) directing students and visitors to the offices (main office, attendance office, nurse's office, guidance office—they were all right in the school's main hallway).

Astrid first checked into the main office. The main office completed as much of the new student procedures as they could before sending Astrid down the hall to the guidance office to finish the process. In the guidance office, Astrid met the woman who would be her counselor during her time as a student at Berk High School. Mrs. Bana seemed nice enough and made it clear that she would do whatever she could to help Astrid get accustomated to the school.

Finally, when everything was settled in the guidance office, Mrs. Bana directed Astrid as to where she would have to go for homeroom. _**Seems easy enough. Maybe this won't be too horrible**_. Astrid began to walk in the direction that Mrs. Bana had showed her, but as she passed the main office, Astrid was stopped by a man in a suit who introduced himself as the school principal.

"You must be Astrid Hofferson, our newest student."

"The one and only, Sir," Astrid responded with a nod. The principal gave her a strange look at being called "Sir" and Astrid made a mental note to study the current slang and language rules. _**Language is a lot less strict now than it was when I was human.**_

"It's not often that we welcome new students to Berk High School, Miss Hofferson. Will you allow me to walk you to your homeroom?"

"Uh, yeah, that's fine," Astrid stuttered slightly. She had not expected this type of welcome. The administration and staff of Berk High School were much more accommodating than at other schools Astrid had "attended".

"Do you need to go to your locker or shall we proceed right to your homeroom?"

"Um…no, I'm okay," Astrid answered. "I don't want to be late to homeroom."

The principal (whose name Astrid still didn't know) led the way. As he passed other students and faculty, the principal made sure to cheerfully greet them. Astrid shrunk a little when those same students and faculty saw her and studied her like some science experiment. _**Well, I guess he was right about Berk High School not welcoming new students often. These kids look like hungry dogs…and I'm a large piece of raw meat. Wonderful…**_

Stopping outside one of the classroom doors, the principal told Astrid, "Your homeroom teacher is Mrs. Wenton, one of our math teachers. She knows that you will be joining her homeroom. Ready to meet everyone?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Astrid answered truthfully.

"I'll go in first and introduce you."

Astrid nodded and waited just outside the door as the school principal walked into the homeroom. She listened as he told the homeroom that a new student would be joining their class. He finished by asking them all to welcome her to Berk High School. When he looked back toward Astrid, she stepped into the classroom.

Having done this so many times that she'd lost count, Astrid wasn't even the least bit nervous as she stepped forward to introduce herself. "Good morning. Thanks for the welcome. I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you. My name is Astrid Hofferson."

After Astrid spoke her brief introduction, Mrs. Wenton placed her in an empty seat next to an auburn-haired boy who she simply referred to as "Haddock". _**Surely he has a real name. Must be his last name.**_ Homeroom was nothing special, but at least it was short. The boys in the class were annoying, especially one that Mrs. Wenton called "Jorgenson". He tried to offer help, but he did so in a manner that was more like flirting than helping. _**Bet he won't be so eager to hit on me if he knew I'm a Nightwalker.**_

When the bell rang to signal the end of homeroom, Astrid hung back a little to gather the papers the office had given her. She was confident that she could find her way around Berk High School; it was just she had a façade to keep up and any little detail or action that she could add to keep up the image would help.

As it turned out, the boy she sat next to in homeroom, the one Mrs. Wenton had called "Haddock" was rather helpful…or, at least, he tried to be. He came off, at first, as rather awkward, but Astrid could tell that his heart was in the right place. He revealed that his first name was Hanson but he was usually referred to as Hiccup. Astrid tested that name out. It was a rather strange name, but she could not really judge anything as strange anymore. They left then, going their separate ways as they did not share the same first period class.

Astrid saw Hiccup again in 4th period Career Development/Planning class. The guidance counselor ran this class and she seated the students alphabetically, so Astrid ended up sitting near Hiccup again…directly behind him, actually. Again he proved to be helpful to Astrid as she asked him for assistance logging onto the laptops that they were using for class today. The new technologies of today's society always confused Astrid. Seriously, did they have to keep changing them every two years? Hopefully she wouldn't look too amateurish to these human teenagers who had grown up with this technology.

Hiccup continued to help her get started and Astrid studied this boy as he walked her through the login steps. He seemed liked the quiet and shy type, someone who would not associate much with other classmates. Yet, deep beneath that outer exterior, he seemed to be compassionate and caring, someone who would make a good friend. Already, Astrid could tell that this Hiccup Haddock was unlike any other boy she had ever met. Maybe this "new school" experience won't be so bad after all.

* * *

 **This overly long chapter has taken me months to write, but I like how it's turned out. I don't' know when the next Astrid POV chapter will be, so I hope you enjoyed this one (which is like two chapters in one, really, since I usually aim for one thousand words and this one is over two thousand!).**

 **Thank you all for reading and supporting Nightwalker!**

 **Posted: September 5, 2016**


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